Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario said on Wednesday he hoped the government will decide by year’s end whether the city’s fourth Macau-Taipa link will be a bridge or a tunnel.
The policy secretary made the remark after attending a meeting of the legislature’s Follow-up Committee for Public Administration Affairs about the issue of some ownership scheme (HOS) flats remaining vacant for a long time even though they have been sold.
Prices of HOS flats are much cheaper than their counterparts in the private property market because they are subsidised by the government.
Asked by reporters about the fourth link, Rosario said the government was still studying whether it should be a bridge or tunnel.
“Bridges and tunnels have their advantages and disadvantages…we have to study it. We hope we can make a decision on the matter by the end of this year,” Rosario said.
The government proposed a fourth link between Macau and Taipa in 2005. Following the arrest of the government’s then secretary for transport and public works Ao Man Lon for graft and other crimes in 2006, the proposal was not acted upon. He has been sentenced to 29 years behind bars.
The government is carrying out its third round of public consultations over the development of five plots of land to be reclaimed from the sea. Under the plan, the total population expected to be living on the five land reclamation sites will be about 162,000.
The five land reclamation sites covering a total area of 3.5 square kilometres are known as Zones A, B, C, D and E. Zones A and B are located off the peninsula, while Zones C, D and E are located off Taipa. The fourth Macau-Taipa link would connect Zones A and E, government plans show.
According to earlier news reports, the opinions the government collected during its previous public consultation sessions about the five land reclamation sites showed that most citizens supported the fourth link to be a tunnel.
Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Rosario urged the public to submit their opinions during the current public consultation period which will end on August 8. (macaunews/macaupost)
